A Low Key Different Easter

This year Easter weekend was different for us for many reasons. Firstly, being in the last month of pregnancy and having a quick birth first time around - not to mention at 35 weeks 4 days - I cannot travel anywhere remotely far and the in-laws live about 2 hours away so that family get together was crossed off the list. My mother who lives close by went to spend Easter weekend with her partner's family in Montreal for the weekend so no getting together with them either. Secondly, Ryan was offered overtime work both Friday and Saturday so it was just B and me both days. Thirdly, we've had people come to view our house every day since it was listed for Sale last Wednesday so the cleaning and vacating of the house has been the central activity of the past few days.

I must say, it was kind of nice to be just the three of us today on our last Easter as a family of three. This was also the first year B really took an interest in Easter and its activities. We didn't go overboard. I got the idea from Dreena Burton's Easter post to buy some larger plastic eggs and fill them with goodies, both edible and non-edible. The key attraction to these was that they are reusable and that they are large enough for a toddler to efficiently find. Also, the emphasis wasn't as much on the sweets. 12 eggs were enough for this year. The hunt was also limited to the living room only. When our children get a wee bit older I would love to do an outdoor hunt with them. B was thrilled and it was amazing watching our little guy run around looking for these eggs and take such joy in finding each one. I had hoped to get around to fun things like dying eggs (done so nicely by this lovely lady) however, being in the final stages of this pregnancy, I've been focusing on getting things ready for the arrival of the new babe and also on preparing for B's 3rd Birthday next weekend just in case we get some baby action this week.

Keeping a busy toddler..busy

Most SAHM's know too well that sometimes it can be far more challenging (although incredibly rewarding) than working out of the home.

B is the most creative, funny, thoughtful, smart little guy most of the time. However, when he is not stimulated enough a.k.a bored, he can be the least agreeable, most difficult, little fellow. This is particularly difficult for me as I am an A-type personality that like to plan things out or stick to a routine and sometimes I feel as though I don't have enough imagination or whim-type thinking to keep him entertained. To be quite honest it is sometimes mentally exhausting for me to think of ways to keep him entertained and happy. It is certainly something that has challenged me on an intellectual level. I'm working on it. Funny how much we learn from our kids when we think they are the ones doing all the learning.

Some things that have kept us busy these past few days:

Making an art smock from daddy's old ripped shirt

Working on creative masterpieces - painting, colouring, stickering, and cutting with safety scissors

Exploring new parks

Rainy Days

On rainy days we spend our time...

• baking - cut out cookies are a hit as cookie cutters are fun


• constructing elaborate structures for marble runs


• visiting the library (this afternoon we will try to find some books on being a "big brother")


• gently tossing a ball to eachother


• catch is the latest and greatest new game


• sometimes settling on the couch for some Caillou or Thomas


• building and re-building Mr.Potatohead

I'm enjoying these last few days with my little boy before he becomes my big boy. The midwives think baby might arrive in the next 2 weeks. We'll see. Some slight nesting has been going on here.. hospital bag packed, all essential supplies purchased...also..we are signing the paperwork to list our house tomorrow evening!

Settling into the Rhythm of Being Home Again

(32 1/2 weeks)

Although my last post was somewhat dark, things have much improved in only a few short weeks. We started putting B to bed between 7:45 and 8pm instead of between 7-7:30pm. This has made a huge difference. He no longer struggles with us and for the most part stays in bed after we have read him a couple of stories and tucked him in. He also now wakes up closer to 7am instead of 5:30 or 6am which is a bonus for me since I'm now home and don't have to get up for work. It also has been extremely wonderful that we decided to keep him in 3 half days/week at the school.

Our "school" days look a little something like this:

7am - Wake up - B wakes me up and we cuddle for a couple minutes in my bed.

7:05-7:45am - We eat some breakfast and get dressed, sometimes B watches one Caillou segment on YouTube while I get ready.

7:45-8am - Drop off to Montessori

8:05am - Coffee by myself!

8:05am-11:45am - I complete various errands, appointments (midwives), and household tasks.

11:45am - Pick up B from Montessori

11:50am-1pm - Lunch and a little play time

1pm-2:30 or 3pm - Nap time (I usually nap at this time too or atleast stay in bed)

3-4pm - Outdoor activity (weather permitting)

4-5pm - Dinner prep and daddy gets home

On the pregnancy front I am feeling quite large these days at nearly 34 weeks even though I have dropped 1 pound at each of my 2 appointments in the last month which concerns me slightly. Belly still seems to be getting larger. Had an early labour scare as a result of a symptomless UTI a few weeks back which led to 24 hours in a hospital 2 hours away since all the closer hospitals could not deliver before 32 weeks. In good news, baby is head down and ready to go. I previously had a low lying placenta. However the head has already cleared the placenta so I'm good to go for a vaginal birth. Horray! Hard to believe at this point with B I was a week and a half away from his arrival!

Third Trimester Musings - or Woes

So I'm officially in my third trimester with this pregnancy.. time seems to be going slowly and quickly all at the same time if that makes any sense. I am around 30 1/2 weeks now.

This time around I am feeling so much bigger than I did with B..even though I have gained the same amount of weight thus far. Small things like bending over are really starting to become tasks. Back ache presents itself toward the end of every day. Sleep at night is restless...between waking to use the washroom and waking to switch sides to alleviate sore hips. Heartburn..common these days. Now I know why they say second and subsequent pregnancies aren't the walk in the park the first one can often be. Much of this is commonly voiced among the other women I know who are currently pregnant with their second or third children...however rarely do these women discuss difficulties with their children or their husbands as if others will surely judge and that a woman on her second or subsequent pregnancy should be able to handle any situation at home she might have since she likely had a hand in deciding to have another baby.

Well although the physical part of being pregnant again has been somewhat uncomfortable to say the least, to be perfectly honest, to add to all this, the antics of an almost 3 year old are tiring, stressful, and just plain difficult much of the time. I find myself feeling awful about the sometimes strained relationship between me and B these days. It's not his fault but yet it isn't totally mine either with the hormones and growing body. He is a really spirited character. I find it really hard to keep him stimulated in his environment at home. When he is not stimulated he starts to cause trouble and demand attention and when he is pleasant to be around it takes much effort on my part to maintain the mood by constantly offering up new activities for him (usually us) to do that I really haven't had the energy for. It sometimes worries me about what the future might have in store once the baby is here and demands a lot of my time as well. However, even though I feel like 70% of my time spent with my little man these days is spent with me feeling frustrated and impatient (sometimes powerless and at my wits end) and him equally upset. The other 30% of the time is wonderful - with the laughs, morning cuddles, hugs and kisses, witty remarks on his end... these are the times I truely cherish with him and reaffirm that it is all worth it. I guess we have to take the bad with the good like in any meaningful relationship. They don't call it "terrible twos" for nothing but it is called "terrible twos" for a reason.. because it is a phase which means like all phases it will eventually be outgrown.

The Big Brother of Almost 3!

I used to use this blog space as almost a journal to keep track of B's development. I now realize that I have been lacking a "journal-type" post as of late.

At almost 3 (end of April)

My "little" guy is really growing up..

- He is pretty darn near fully potty trained (FINALLY) we still have the occasional accident at school during playtime but none at home and a usually dry sleep

- On that note - has graduated to the next class up at Montessori with the "big kids". He absolutely loves it and never looks back at me anymore when I drop him off

- Very concerned about what is right and what is wrong and often tells us. He also provides constant reminders/prompts to mommy and daddy such as "are you driving the speed limit?"

- Extremely excited to be a big brother and calls his impending sibling "my baby"

- Enjoys sleeping in his new big boy bedroom in a bunkbed - still goes to bed between 7-7:30 and wakes up somewhere between 5:30 (YES 5:30) and 6:30 no fail..every morning. Although I'd rather him be an early riser than late to go down. It does also make the school drop offs much easier since he has a little while to wake up before we leave the house

- A big "helper". Loves to help daddy do almost anything..especially things that involve a hammer

- Also likes to stick things (small pieces of crayon) in his ear which we recently discovered after visiting the doctor for another issue

- Favourite activities include: Swimming Lessons with Grandma, colouring with crayons, watching Caillou, reading (this kid tries to sneak books in his bed when he is supposed to be sleeping - we have to remove the books from the bedroom)

- Favourite foods: Will eat nearly anything you put in front of him..veggies too except sweet potato and squash although we're working on it. Yogurt, fruit of any sort, cheerios, peanut butter and crackers or toast, spaghetti, pizza, and McDonalds fries seem to be hits these days.

In other news.. Baby #2 is doing well. Extremely active and my earlier placenta location issues seem to be resolving themselves nicely so yay for a likely uncomplicated birth. I have started taking pre-natal yoga which is awesome and I only have 3 weeks left of work. Oh yeah and a potential move is on the horizon.

Children, Environment, and Allergies

One Toronto Star Article in particular caught my attention today. This one indicates that a British Study found higher rates of peanut allergies in boys among more affluent families.

The article states that, "“Fussy parents” – parents who shield their children from all potential allergens in a hyper-clean environment from before birth – could be one explanation for the higher rate in more affluent homes".

Not sure how I feel about this hypothesis. Our family would definitely be considered to be among the middle class and despite recommendations to hold off on offering peanuts until the age of 3, we still introduced peanuts to our son earlier. However, we were careful to offer small amounts initially and monitor to determine whether or not there were any adverse effects. I am sometimes sad that the old "staple" peanut butter sandwich or peanut butter and crackers are no longer allowed in schools. That being said, I have become extremely sensitive to many foods since cutting them out of my diet initially for an elimination/reintroduction phase. Foods that previously did not bother me, now in some cases invoke a mild anaphylactic reaction which is somewhat remediated by anti-histamines. Maybe there is something to the hypothesis of the "fussy parent".